Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shurugwi and Nosara

For one person, living is cheaper in Shurugwi: $579 a month against $1,839 in Nosara, rent and utilities included – about $15,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Shurugwi
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
$579
/mo nomad
Nosara
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
$1,839
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shurugwi and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shurugwi and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $579 per month in Shurugwi vs $1,839 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Shurugwi $579
  • Nosara $1,839

A couple spends around $949 per month in Shurugwi vs $2,828 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Shurugwi $949
  • Nosara $2,828

A family of three spends $1,320 per month in Shurugwi vs $3,818 in Nosara, rent included.

  • Shurugwi $1,320
  • Nosara $3,818

Shurugwi is about 69% cheaper than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Shurugwi sits 57% below the global median, while Nosara is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shurugwi
Nosara
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.11 ZWL 269
$12.35 ₡5,539
-18.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.64 ZWL 1,055
$61.2 ₡27.4K
-35.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.80 ZWL 154
$7.52 ₡3,373
-22.87%
Cappuccino
$1.69 ZWL 45.06
$4.41 ₡1,978
-61.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.97 ZWL 25.82
$1.74 ₡780
-44.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.48 ZWL 12.79
$1.31 ₡587
-63.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.28 ZWL 33.94
$3.28 ₡1,471
-60.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 ZWL 54.7
$4.47 ₡2,004
-53.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shurugwi
Nosara
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.48 ZWL 39.43
$1.56 ₡701
-5.13%
White Bread (500g)
$0.98 ZWL 26.00
$3.02 ₡1,355
-67.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 ZWL 44.40
$2.51 ₡1,125
-33.47%
Eggs
$1.94 ZWL 51.7
$3.57 ₡1,603
-45.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.52 ZWL 307
$7.43 ₡3,333
55.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.30 ZWL 141
$10.52 ₡4,717
-49.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.34 ZWL 169
$13.97 ₡6,265
-54.62%
Apples (1kg)
$3.07 ZWL 81.8
$2.35 ₡1,052
30.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 ZWL 44.01
$1.61 ₡720
2.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.01 ZWL 53.4
$4.80 ₡2,152
-58.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 ZWL 40.30
$1.61 ₡724
-6.21%
Potato (1kg)
$1.67 ZWL 44.46
$3.80 ₡1,703
-56.05%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 ZWL 47.97
$3.69 ₡1,657
-51.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 ZWL 32.55
$1.13 ₡507
7.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 ZWL 26.31
$2.66 ₡1,191
-62.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.95 ZWL 51.8
$5.18 ₡2,321
-62.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.20 ZWL 218
$19.88 ₡8,916
-58.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 ZWL 36.77
$2.90 ₡1,300
-52.41%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.97 ZWL 52.4
$3.63 ₡1,626
-45.73%
🚌 Getting Around
Shurugwi
Nosara
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.12 ₡504
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$72.6 ₡32.6K
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.94 ZWL 105
$2.14 ₡958
84.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.97 ZWL 52.5
$1.57 ₡703
25.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.04 ZWL 134
$8.52 ₡3,823
-40.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.84 ZWL 48.95
$1.52 ₡682
21.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.1K ZWL 587.6K
$21.6K ₡9.7M
2.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.8K ZWL 738.7K
$34.5K ₡15.5M
-19.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shurugwi
Nosara
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$52.0 ZWL 1,383
$96.3 ₡43.2K
-46.02%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.89 ZWL 582
$35.89 ₡16.1K
-39.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$68.3 ZWL 1,818
$53.6 ₡24.0K
27.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shurugwi
Nosara
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$71.6 ₡32.1K
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$34.91 ₡15.7K
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.97 ZWL 265
$7.89 ₡3,539
26.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shurugwi
Nosara
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$429 ZWL 11.4K
$494 ₡221.6K
-13.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,436 ZWL 224.5K
$11.9K ₡5.3M
-28.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shurugwi
Nosara
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$23.20 ZWL 617
$53.9 ₡24.2K
-56.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$21.19 ZWL 564
$55.4 ₡24.8K
-61.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$38.89 ZWL 1,035
$77.9 ₡34.9K
-50.09%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$39.82 ZWL 1,060
$79.6 ₡35.7K
-49.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shurugwi
Nosara
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$788 ₡353.4K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$794 ₡356.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$3,939 ₡1.8M
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,419 ₡636.5K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$6,912 ₡3.1M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,224 ₡549.0K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shurugwi
Nosara
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$864 ₡387.3K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.69
8.62
58.82%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Shurugwi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Shurugwi
$213
Nosara
$352 65.7% $140
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shurugwi
$142
Nosara
$186 30.7% $44
Eating Out
Shurugwi
$135
Nosara
$212 57.1% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Shurugwi
$55
Nosara
$120 117% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Shurugwi
$20 *
Nosara
$87 338% $67
Getting Around
Shurugwi
$14 *
Nosara
$87 531% $73
Accommodation & Living
Shurugwi
- *
Nosara
$794

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Shurugwi versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $352 – making Shurugwi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇼 Shurugwi
🇨🇷 Nosara
🕒 Local time
04:25 4:25 AM
20:25 8:25 PM
8 h behind Shurugwi
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
16,866
4,912
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to ZWL – Zimbabwean Dollar Converter

Zimbabwean Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 26.61 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.76 USD). 1 EUR = 29.92 ZWL (100 ZWL = 3.34 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shurugwi Nosara 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Shurugwi
  • Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Shurugwi vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Shurugwi and in Nosara compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $579 in Shurugwi, $1,839 in Nosara – roughly 218% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Shurugwi compared to Nosara?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $868 per month in Shurugwi and $2,758 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Shurugwi and $61.0 in Nosara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 66% more in Nosara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shurugwi, where all-in costs run around $579, than in Nosara at $1,839. In Shurugwi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nosara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Shurugwi and Nosara?
It depends on your priorities. Nosara has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $579 in Shurugwi to $1,839 in Nosara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Shurugwi or Nosara safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Shurugwi and Nosara?
If budget matters most, go with Shurugwi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Nosara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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